This is an amazing account of ordinary people struggling to survive in a nightmarish world. The brutality of the Nazis never ceases to shock me. Although we are all familiar with the history, I think it is more searing to read the stories of individuals. It is heartbreaking to think of young Ruth writing to her father with hope of a rescue and to discover that she died in a concentration camp without ever seeing him again. For him, it must have been both a consolation and a deep sorrow to receive that letter after the war. Your father's descriptions of what happened to him as a boy - from teasing and outright bullying instigated by his teacher, to the Kindertransport trip to Belgium and the long walk to try to escape the Nazi invasion - frames the progression of the ongoing dangers and persecution Jews faced. It is incredible that he maintained his own humanity and even his sense of humor through such a calamitous upbringing.
The depth of this piece is remarkable. I value it on so many levels: the librarianship, the family history, the persistence of you and your family, the horror of the dead, the ability of survivors to keep on living.
These are fascinating historical facts! And the bureaucratic paperwork required of most travelers back then is so interesting---now we just fill out extensive forms once and they live on electronically.
Very powerful entry. Trying to fill in missing pieces of the puzzle. Heart wrenching. That’s the feeling today. Heart wrenching as we remember what happened to our family in the past and we witness the atrocities being committed in Israel today.
I wept when I came to the part about Ruth's fate.
This is an amazing account of ordinary people struggling to survive in a nightmarish world. The brutality of the Nazis never ceases to shock me. Although we are all familiar with the history, I think it is more searing to read the stories of individuals. It is heartbreaking to think of young Ruth writing to her father with hope of a rescue and to discover that she died in a concentration camp without ever seeing him again. For him, it must have been both a consolation and a deep sorrow to receive that letter after the war. Your father's descriptions of what happened to him as a boy - from teasing and outright bullying instigated by his teacher, to the Kindertransport trip to Belgium and the long walk to try to escape the Nazi invasion - frames the progression of the ongoing dangers and persecution Jews faced. It is incredible that he maintained his own humanity and even his sense of humor through such a calamitous upbringing.
The depth of this piece is remarkable. I value it on so many levels: the librarianship, the family history, the persistence of you and your family, the horror of the dead, the ability of survivors to keep on living.
These are fascinating historical facts! And the bureaucratic paperwork required of most travelers back then is so interesting---now we just fill out extensive forms once and they live on electronically.
Very powerful entry. Trying to fill in missing pieces of the puzzle. Heart wrenching. That’s the feeling today. Heart wrenching as we remember what happened to our family in the past and we witness the atrocities being committed in Israel today.
Your writing is so vivid and strong in telling this heartbreaking and terrible story. Seeing the video of Paul is like traveling back in time❤️